We made 7 arrest, 6 for DUI and 1 for a stolen vehicle. If you're going to drink alcohol please be responsible. There are many ways to get home safe. Make an effective plan such as a designated driver, taxi, or stay at a hotel and use their shuttle.

You can still have fun and limit the amount of alcohol you drink. When you drink and drive you endanger yourself and others. If you witness a DUI driver call 911 and report it!

21 Comments

It seems as in the past, there was an email/EdHat or Noozhawk article that stated when a DUI checkpoint was going to occur. It doesn't seem that I have seen these lately. Am I just missing the announcements or is the City PD stopping these notices?

That's great that they caught that many inebriated people and got them off the road. That's not so great that there are actually that many to be caught on a non-holiday Friday during the checkpoint location and time window in a city the size of ours. How horribly ironic it would be for one of our numerous drunk drivers to careen into the path of one of the legion of uber and/or lyft drivers on the way home. Stay safe out there uber and lyft drivers.

I think the people that would be deterred by a stiff penalty have ceased to drink and drive. The ones they are catching now are addicts and no penalty is enough to get them to stop. We are going to have to figure out a way to stop them that is different than what we are currently doing, which is waiting until they are caught in a checkpoint or have an accident that injures someone else.

The fact that people still drink and drive is not proof of the insufficiency of the penalty in any logical analysis. The idea that DUI is a premeditated crime is part of this fallacy. And even when a person intends to go out to drink and not drive home if intoxicated the very fact of that intoxication compromises this intent. On the other hand, we could institute capital punishment for DUI in an attempt to frighten society into compliance. But I would bet there would soon be people on Death Row for DUI. Realistic solutions involve more than punishment. Maybe bars should be required to offer shuttle rides? Maybe car ignitions should be alcohol sensitive? Maybe we will soon have auto drive technology and the issue will me mooted?

The police are required to announce time and place of these stops to comply with the Supreme Court's compromise on the charge that such detentions constitute violation of the 4th Amendment. Maybe we could have a constitutional change to exempt police roadblocks at their discretion? Or maybe just a new Trump Supreme Court Justice?

YETI - it would not be uncommon for a first time DUI offender to receive probation, a <$400 fine, and
a three month "rehab" program. That's all, for behavior that commonly kills people/families. Hardly a deterrent.

You got it MATTYBOY, bail, tow and impound charges, light fine with a few hundred in other court assessments, a few bucks for 30 days of schooling, only a few months of license suspension, maybe no jail time. Forget hiring a lawyer; you can handle a small-town judge and a hostile DMV with a bit of charm.